GDPR, short for General Data Protection Regulation, is the EU’s data privacy law. It went into effect in May 2018 and has reshaped how businesses collect, store, and use personal data—both inside and outside the European Union.
If your business has a website that collects data from EU visitors (think: contact forms, newsletter signups, cookies, or analytics tools), GDPR applies to you—no matter where you’re based.
What is GDPR actually about?
At its core, GDPR is about giving people control over their personal data. It requires businesses to:
- Be transparent about what data they collect and why
- Ask for clear, informed consent
- Allow people to access, correct, or delete their data
- Keep that data secure
- Report data breaches promptly
It’s not just a legal checkbox—it’s about building trust with your users.
What counts as personal data?
Under GDPR, personal data means any information that can identify a person, including:
- Names
- Email addresses
- IP addresses
- Cookie identifiers
- Phone numbers
- Location data
- Behavior tracking (e.g. Google Analytics)
If you collect any of this—even indirectly—you need to follow the rules.
What does GDPR mean for your website?
Here are the essentials most business websites need to have:
1. A clear Privacy Policy
Your site must explain:
- What data you collect
- Why and how you use it
- Who you share it with (like email platforms or analytics tools)
- How users can manage or delete their data
2. Cookie Consent Banner
You must:
- Ask for permission before loading non-essential cookies (like tracking scripts)
- Let users opt in or out of categories (e.g. marketing, analytics)
- Respect their choice (don’t sneakily track anyway)
Tools like Cookiebot, Complianz, or Borlabs Cookie can help with this.
3. Proper consent handling
For things like:
- Newsletter signups (no pre-ticked checkboxes)
- Contact forms (only ask for necessary data)
- Lead magnets (make it clear what they’re signing up for)
4. A way to access or delete data
You should be able to respond if a user says: “I want to see what data you have on me” or “Please delete my data.”
What happens if you ignore GDPR?
Non-compliance can lead to warnings, audits, or even fines—especially if there’s a data breach. But for small businesses, the bigger issue is loss of trust. Today’s users expect transparency. If your site feels shady or unclear about how it handles data, they’re less likely to stick around.
Bottom line
GDPR isn’t just a legal framework—it’s a user expectation. You don’t need a lawyer to get started, but you do need to be intentional. Keep your data practices clean, your policies honest, and your users informed. That’s not just compliance—it’s good business.
